Auditions

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 3:35 pm

Chords... Scales... and such. Haha... That was funny coming from a bassist. CHORDS IS THE KEY! Sounds funny

. But hey i play chords so i cant say much.

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 3:41 pm

I play chords all the time. Octaves.. like with the D string and the D on the G string.. it fills it out quite nicely. Yeah.. I try to make up stuff behind some chords.. I hum stuff that fits into chords great.. but when I get to my bass I blank.

I just like to improvise. Like the end of "The Trees" on 'Different Stages' And 'Rush In Rio'. That is Geddy's improv spot.. I don't bother learning what he's doing and I just go with it.. sometimes it's pretty.. sometimes it's bad. I never play it the same way.

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 3:50 pm

Jacob, I know what you mean about getting bored of simple songs, but my point is that good music (and thus talent) is not always measured by complexity. In contrast... many of the most popular songs are very "simple."

That said, many good songs are also very complex... it is all about how the final product sounds as a whole... not the number of different notes played.

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 4:11 pm

I get what your saying dude. I just think if a song is gonna be simple you should try to do some feeling things thrown in there. By that i mean timing mainly... But yeah.

Popular music... lets not get into that. We probly all know that just cause its popular doesnt mean its at all good... and alot of popular music isnt even music. Some of that Hiphop stuff and rap and even some R&B or what they call R&B. But That could just be my oppinon. But if you ask me what actually is and isnt music shouldnt be an oppinon. Theres certain componets music just has to have.

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 4:22 pm

I like some pop music.. but I agree with Jacob. Most pop is ****. R&B doesn't seem like 'rhythm and blues' anymore. What mainly bothers me is when some artist comes out of nowhere with a number 1 hit. Sometimes it's ok (Like the only pop I like had a number 1 hit for her first song.) but most of the time it bothers me.

I do get into some songs with simple parts. The guitar solo in "La Villa" has the bass (keyboards) just do 'F' and 'A' over and over.. I improv there (cuz it's kinda boring) and I really get into it.. its a very emotional part of the song. When I get into it I really hit the string hard. I mean split my fingers hard.

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 4:31 pm

I really wana learn La Villa... haha.

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 4:54 pm

Master 'Freewill' first.. La Villa is way harder.

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 5:03 pm

Yeah... I need to finish up that solo. I took a break from it and decided I didnt care lol. Ill have to talk Chip into going back to it. He wants to get into a YES kick tho. Work on my picking. And then we always take small breaks to work on my groove and now slap. La Villa is just super long. And It doesnt slow down so much. So... that one would take awhile.

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 5:26 pm

The main issue with the whole "complexity vs. simplicity" is that different people feel different things are appropriate in a song. Some people get annoyed by busy basslines, and others (like myself) get bored by simple ones. I want to hear bassists DO something! Then again, there are definitely quite a few cases where I hear a super-impressive, mind-numbingly difficult bassline, and the first time I think, "WHOA!!! That's AWESOME!!!" Then, of course, I listen to the song once again, and I'm going, "That doesn't fit at all. Why'd he play that?" Everyone has a different place where they draw the line between musicianship and wankery.

That being said, judging the quality of a song on how popular it is/was is a really bad standard. The reason Jaco and Wooten didn't/don't have #1 hits is because current popular music trends don't include jazz-fusion or bluegrass-funk. It has nothing to do with their complexity. Jimi Hendrix never had a #1 hit. The Grateful Dead never had a #1 hit. The only way Victor Wooten would have a #1 hit on the pop charts would be for him to write some pop-jazz and then have it heavily marketed, like all other popular bands do. To have #1 hits, for the most part, you have to write FOR your audience (rather than for whatever artistic goal you wish to achieve), unless you manage to set a trend, which doesn't happen to many people. Most popular artists write FOR their audiences, which is why they stay popular, unless they have a big, truly devoted fanbase that won't abandon them when they decide to pursue a completely different musical direction (a la Rush, the Beatles, U2 [though recently they've become a little formulaic]).

Paul McCartney is not a great bassist because the Beatles were popular. He is not a great bassist because he "did a lot with a little"/played, for the most part, simply. He is a great bassist because he his bass-playing is creative, appropriate, original, and, at the time completely revolutionary . . . so much so that several of the other greatest bassists ever claim him as a primary influence. In the same manner, John Entwistle was not a great bassist because he was incredibly proficient beyond all worldly means, nor because the Who were exceedingly popular. He was a great bassist because, like McCartney, he was creative, original, appropriate, and completely revolutionary. Impressiveness is usually a result of those things, which is why both the most blazingly fast arpeggios and the quarter-note blues can be equally impressive, though I know which I tend towards.

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 5:28 pm

Oh, and yes, chords are KEY! Not necessarily playing chords, but knowing what notes make up what chords and what the chord progressions are in a given piece. If you know that, you can play as crazily or as subdued as you want. I'm not musically inclined (I just practice a LOT), and so learning chords was difficult, but it helps *so much*.

jaybic · Post by **jaybic** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 5:32 pm

Well said Bobcat

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 5:35 pm

10 minutes isn't super long. Ged's finger picking style is something to work on.. he uses one technique alot. Somthing like from The Big Money.
(My tabbing sucks!)

G-9--7---6-6-------------
D---9--9-----9-7-0-------
A------------------7-----
E------------------------

You get the idea. The
G-6-6--
D-----9
was what I was talking about. Two hits on one string and one on another in one motion. Hard to explain.. lol.

Most of the "Freewill' solo is that.

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 5:37 pm

Robert I cant really argue with that one haha. Lots of good points.

I try to balance my crazy stuff with the timing and simple stuff. Also the reason why I want so many different basses is because of the fitting the song type thing. I want the sound and the feel for it

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 6:30 pm

All excellent points robert. I don't think I can disagree at all.

I agree that judging good music but popularity is futile. However, I do find that the best music sticks around over time. It will be interesting to see what current bands still get respect 20 years down the road.

Pink floyd is another great band with no real hits (Money almost), same for zeppelin... but I don't think anyone can deny their greatness. Also no slight to jaco (love his joni mitchell work) or victor (love the flecktones).

hieronymous · Post by **hieronymous** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 6:46 pm

speaking of victor wooten...

that's me on the left and my fiancee in the middle.

saw him at Big Cat a couple of weeks ago on the tour supporting his Soul Circus CD - admittedly the CD is a little disappointing (apart from "Bass Tribute"), but live the stuff was amazing!